by Hannah Gerke
You’re walking along, enjoying the
sights and sounds of nature, when you glance down and spot a young deer lying
down in some bushes! The fawn is utterly
alone with no mother in sight, and you’re afraid the poor thing has been
abandoned. What do you do?
When they see the fawn by itself,
many people assume the mother has left it for good, and their first instinct is
often to “rescue” the fawn. However, if
the fawn is not obviously sick or injured, the best course of action is to leave it be. In the first month after birth, a doe spends
most of her time resting or foraging 50 yards to a mile away from her fawn
(White et al. 1972). She may return only
a few times each day to groom or feed it, until the fawn becomes active enough
to spend more time with her (Piccolo et al. 2010). While it may seem odd for the doe to stray so
far, the fawn is perfectly adapted to stay safe until its mother comes
back. Its white spots function as
camouflage, and its freezing behavior (staying utterly still, often with the
head down or tucked away) helps it remain hidden. To avoid leading predators to her fawn, the
mother will not return until she believes the area is clear of danger—which
includes you! For that reason, leaving
the fawn alone and keeping pets out of the vicinity is essential. Furthermore, like with many wild animals,
possessing a fawn is illegal and could get you in trouble with the law (Webb
2010).
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| Does often leave their fawns alone while they forage during the day. If you find a baby fawn alone, it’s probably not abandoned and is waiting patiently for its mother to return. |
While not always as predictable as
the doe leaving the fawn to forage, apparent separation of young animals from
their parents occurs commonly throughout nature. In most cases, the parents are well equipped
to handle the situation. For example, if
you find a baby bird on the ground, there’s a high chance the parents are
nearby. According to the Audubon Society
of Portland, many species of birds leave the nest before they are able to fly
and spend up to 5 days on the ground as fledglings. During this time, the parents continue
protecting and caring for them. The best
thing you can do to help a fledgling on the ground is to keep pets away—placing
it back in the nest is often pointless because the fledgling will jump out
again. If the baby bird lacks all or
most of its feathers and appears to have fallen from the nest too early, you
can put it back in the nest (if the nest is destroyed, placing the bird in a
basket and hanging it from a high limb will make it easily available to the
parents). Birds have strong protective
instincts and a study by Ortega et al. (1997) shows that handling eggs and
chicks does not cause American robins to abandon their nests. While the
sensitivity to human presence or disturbance likely varies by species, Ortega
et al. (1997) suggest birds in urban areas are frequently exposed to humans and
may have a higher tolerance of human activity and handling as a result. However, the parents will still be hesitant to
return to the nest while humans are still nearby, so be sure to keep your
distance after returning the chick to the nest. Although it may be tempting to take the baby
bird home to care for it, remember that the chick is better off being raised by
its real parents, and according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, it is
illegal to possess a wild bird (Migratory Bird Treaty Act 2015).
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| If you find a baby bird on the ground, chances are it’s a fledgling! If it lacks a lot of feathers, put it back in the nest. If not, best to leave it be! |
Just like the fawn and fledgling
birds, many wildlife babies that at first glance appear to be abandoned are not
actually in need of rescuing. In fact,
taking young animals out of the wild—even with the best of intentions—often
results in more harm than good (and may even be against the law!). Animals raised in captivity are usually
unable to learn necessary survival skills taught by their parents and therefore
cannot survive in the wild. No matter
how hard it may be to walk away from a seemingly helpless fawn or bird, the
most beneficial practice to the animal is to leave it alone and allow the
parents to do their job.
Literature
Cited
Migratory Bird
Treaty Act. 2015. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. <http://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php>.
Accessed 2 June 2015.
Ortega, C. P., J.
C. Ortega, C. A. Rapp, S. Vorisek, S. A. Backsento, and D. W. Palmer. 1997.
Effect of Research Activity on the Success of American Robin Nests. Journal of
Wildlife Management 61(3): 948-952.
Piccolo, B.P,
T.R. Van Deelen, K.Hollis-Etter, D.R. Etter, R.E. Warner, and C. Anchor. 2010. Behavior
And Survival Of White-Tailed Deer Neonates In Two Suburban Forest Preserves.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 88(5): 487-495.
Webb, A. 2010.
Pineywoods Post. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
White, M., F. F.
Knowlton, W. C. Glazener. 1972. Effects of Dam-Newborn Fawn Behavior on Capture
and Mortality. Journal of Wildlife Management 36(3): 897-906.
What To Do If You
Find A Baby Bird. Audubon Society of Portland. <http://audubonportland.org/wcc/urban/babybirds>.
Accessed 28 May 2015.